Journal 9 Meets NETS-T 4 A and B

Groff, J, & Haas, J. (2008). Web 2.0: today's technology, tomorrow's learning. Leading and Learning, 36(2), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3620082009/SeptemberOctoberNo2/L_L_September_October_2008.htm


TSocial Networking, Simulations and Digital games may sound like they wouldn’t be good for classroom use, however, I think they have many great classroom uses. Especially since most of your students will already be familiar with them. As a teacher, you can’t be scared of technology. Instead, you have to embrace it and figure out how to incorporate it into your class. It is challenging to teach in a hands- on way because of money and time stipulations, so simulations are a great way to teach a subject like anatomy. Using a simulation of dissecting a frog would be a lot cheaper then ordering a bunch of frogs for dissection and tools. Networking sites can be used for a group to work together and collaborate for a group project. It can also be used for the teacher to post things to her entire class, like a writing prompt. Digital games are usually games about real life experiences. They can teach problem solving and cause and effect because the students would have to make important choices that would cause things to happen in their games. I understand that not all districts can afford computers with large and powerful hard drives for each student to play digital games on, but all classrooms have a computer so the teacher can still show simulations in the classroom. Most students have computers at home and if they don’t they can use one in the library to connect through social networking.

Would I use simulations in my classroom instead of hands on experiences?

I would not say that one is better then the other, but in my opinion a simulation is easier to do in the classroom. For instance, above I used the frog dissection example. I actually did my frog dissection in eighth grade on the computer because I did not want to dissect the frog. I breed frogs and did not think that was right. The assignment was very enjoyable for me. I learned about the frogs’ anatomy without hurting it and I did not have to smell the dead frog or clean it up when I was done with the dissection.

Do I think digital games have actual potential in the classroom?

Yes. I definitely think digital game have a lot of potential. Digital games have the ability to teach students while they feel like they are playing a computer game. For instance, a hospital game can teach students about health. The game could have patients come in and the doctor would have to diagnose their illness and give them the proper things to make them feel better. The student could play the doctor.